Viewing page 32 of 78

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

to Bobbie Hill, 515 W. Shiawassee. Lansing, Mich 48933

Jan 29. 1976

Dear Bobbie

Glad to receive your note and be able to tell you about us...We're a lot of [[strikethrough]]1[[/strikethrough]]things (other than bad typists)... The Feminist Studio Workshop is an alternative educational institution for women, and we're housed in the Woman's Building, a showcase for women's culture, and we have many activities that take place in the Building: Extension Program, Graphics Program, Musical events, workshops, etc.

First about the workshop: (see enclosed zerox...our catalogue hasn't been printed for next year yet) We are a nine month educational program for women who are interested in studying and creating a woman's culture in an all-woman environment...There are six staff members who teach and do professional work in the fields of art history, writing, graphic design, printing and performance art, and this year there are 45 students. Our program changes to fit our changing and growing concepts of feminist [[strikethrough]]deu[[/strikethrough]] education and this year we have divided the nine month programs into several segments: the first, for three months, was a community project, in which students began to investigate their own relationship to each other and to the community we were all participating in creating. We did lots of physical work to finish the Woman's Building, [[strikethrough]]which[[/strikethrough]] a new building we had just moved into. We also made art, and put together a group show for the Grand Opening.

The second phase, which we are now just beginning, is several small group projects and classes in many fields, to allow women to gain an expertise in specific areas. The Workshop is not focused only on skill learning... we believe a woman must first learn what it is she wants to say, personally and as a member of a community committed to exploring women's culture, and then learn the skills necessary to say it. We do, however, have ample classes, both in the workshop structure itself and in the Extension Program, for women to gain the necessary skills. Student from the workshop are allowed to take free one course per quarter of the extension program. (See enclosed bulletinn) The [[strikethrough]]program[[/strikethrough]] extension program was designed as a way to offer special classes to women in the Workshop, as well as to allow other women in the community to study at the Building.

Next, after the small group projects, we will have a period for individual tutorial, in which students will meet weekly with one or more of the faculty to advise [[strikethrough]]and[[/strikethrough]] her on a project...then we will go back again to the large group structure, and create another collaborative presentation to the public. I'm very excited about the structure of this year, and feel it has been so far and will continue to be the best year we've had in our three years of existence.